Disclosed are systems and methods for pump control of a closed thermodynamic cycle system, such as a Brayton cycle. Operational parameters such as working fluid temperature, thermal fluid temperature, stream pressure, and power generation may be the basis for controlling a thermal fluid pump rate.

A thermal power station and method for generating includes (a) at least one thermal energy storage having a housing, a storage chamber and a fluid inlet port fluidically connected to the storage chamber and a fluid outlet port connected to the storage chamber, and (b) a Brayton cycle heat engine including gas turbine, a cooler and a compressor connected with each other by a closed cycle containing a second working fluid, (c) the Brayton cycle heat engine further includes a control unit arranged for operating the Brayton cycle heat engine according to a Brayton cycle, (d) the gas turbine is thermally coupled to the at least one thermal energy storage by a first heat exchanger and a first working fluid, the first working fluid being different, and (e) the gas turbine is connected to a generator for producing electrical power by the thermal energy from the thermal energy storage.

A system for generating electricity, heat, and desalinated water having a gas turbine system connected to a first electric generator, a waste heat recovery boiler (WHRB) system, a combined heat and power (CHP) generation system connected to a second electric generator, one or more solar powered energy systems, and a desalination system. The desalination system is connected to the CHP generation system and the WHRB system. The gas turbine system generates electricity and heat, the WHRB system is connected to and uses the exhaust of the gas turbine system to provide heat and steam power to the CHP generation system. The CHP generation system produces and provides electricity and heat to the desalination system, which produces product water, and at least one solar powered energy system provides thermal energy to one or more of the gas turbine system, the WHRB system, the CHP generation system, and the desalination system.

A method of using a combustor for high temperature combustion. The combustor is equipped with a showerhead type micromix air-fuel injector. The injector faceplate has its ports concentrically arranged into “banks”, to which delivery of fuel can be controlled on a bank-by-bank basis. During combustor operation, the temperature of the air into the combustor is monitored. If the temperature is above a predetermined threshold, fuel is delivered to fewer than all banks of ports. As a result, the bank(s) of ports to which fuel is not delivered inject only air into the combustion chamber, and the other bank(s) of ports inject the air-fuel mixture as usual.

A solar receiver includes a hollow body, which has a longitudinal axis (8.4), a wall (8) surrounding the longitudinal axis (8.4), an opening (9) disposed in the wall (8) for the entry of heat rays, and an end region opposite the opening (9). The wall (8) includes an outer wall (8.1), an inner wall (8.2), and a partition wall (8.3) disposed therebetween. The outer wall (8.1) and the partition wall (8.3) enclose an outer annular space (8.1.1). The inner wall (8.2) and the partition wall (8.3) enclose an inner annular space (8.2.1). The outer annular space (8.1.1) has, in the end region, an inlet (12) for a free-flowing medium. The two annular spaces (8.1.1, 8.2.1) are conductively connected to one another in the region of the opening (9), and the inner annular space (8.2.1) has an outlet (11) for a free-flowing medium in the end region.

A solar gas turbine power generation system based on a photothermal principle includes a gas turbine, a solar collector and a solar reflector, where the gas turbine includes a compressor impeller, a turbine, a recuperator and a combustion chamber, the recuperator includes an outer shell, an intermediate shell and an inner shell, a low-temperature gas inlet passage is formed between the intermediate shell and the outer shell, a high-temperature gas inlet passage is formed between the intermediate shell and the inner shell, an inlet and an outlet of the low-temperature gas inlet passage communicate with an outlet of the compressor impeller and an inlet of the combustion chamber, respectively, and an inlet and an outlet of the high-temperature gas inlet passage communicate with an outlet of the turbine and the outside, respectively; and the solar collector includes an absorber plate covering the outer shell of the recuperator.

The present invention relates to the utilization of solar energy for generation of electricity and/or production of clean fuels or other chemicals, as a means for long term, transportable storage of inherently intermittent solar energy.

Disclosed are systems and methods for pump control of a closed thermodynamic cycle system, such as a Brayton cycle. Operational parameters such as working fluid temperature, thermal fluid temperature, stream pressure, and power generation may be the basis for controlling a thermal fluid pump rate.

A turbine for solar thermal power generation and a Brayton cycle are disclosed. The turbine includes a blade which has a cooling working medium inlet and a cooling working medium jet orifice. The blade is provided as a cavity with hollow interior; the cooling working medium inlet is located inside the blade; the cooling working medium jet orifice is provided on the blade surface on which is provided a spectral conversion coating; the spectral conversion coating converts heat on the blade surface into conversion characteristic band radiation which is radiation energy adjacent to cooling working medium characteristic band radiation of a cooling working medium. The turbine adopts a characteristic spectral coating and a jet cooling to enhance the cooling effect for a turbine blade and to improve the system efficiency of the Brayton cycle.

An energy conversion device comprising at least one thermal energy input, a plurality of energy outputs, a first modular part and a second modular part, wherein: the first modular part comprises at least a core Brayton generator; the second modular part comprises at least a heat pump module comprising at least one heat exchanger; and wherein the heat pump is integrated with the first modular part in order to share at least one heat exchanger between the first and the second modular parts, as well as set of valves and variable speed mechanical coupling and gear box. The core Brayton generator comprises an expander module and a compressor module configured to be positive displacement machines of the screw type with the expander module supplying motive power to the second modular part.